A Bit Rounder And Fuel Efficient, Gm Wagons Enjoying New Station

In Life

DETROIT — Just when you thought the station wagon was dead, General Motors brings it back to life.

That`s ``life`` as in the first new sheetmetal on the machine since your teenage son or daughter was born.

The slabsided wagon of the `70s and `80s has been replaced by one with rounded corners and edges, the so-called aero look that not only means a pleasant new appearance, but a slight boost in fuel economy as well from its ability to slice through the wind rather than be buffeted by it.

We test drove the Chevy Caprice and Buick Roadmaster Estate wagons, two of the trio of new wagons from GM for 1991 that also includes the Olds Custom Cruiser. We`ll review that one at a later date.

Both offer distinctive, eye-catching styling in sharp contrast to the block of metal that had been running around the streets since the late `70s.

What made wagons appealing in the `70s is still offered for the `90s, a 115.9-inch wheelbase and 217.5-inch length to provide the room for three sets of seats and eight-passenger carrying capacity.

The rear tailgate has a popup window for easy storage of small packages, or you pull one of two release levers to swing the gate open sideways to let the kids in or swing it down to pile the groceries in. There`s even room for the dog to roam.

The third seat holds the little kids facing rearward so that the noise travels away from the driver and front-seat occupant.

The wagons are big enough to tow a boat, though when you look back along the car in the rear-view mirror from the driver`s seat, it looks like you already are in a boat.

What made station wagons less than appealing in the `70s also is still present for the `90s.

That long wheelbase and length means when you pull into the supermarket the tailend sticks out past the normal sedans and coupes. Those new to big wagons will find slipping into the typical parking space is like getting into last year`s suit or dress.

Even more fun awaits you when you decide to leave the space. Here in Detroit, our first venture with the Chevy wagon meant leaving a parking garage packed with cars filling the angular lines. The size of the Caprice meant backing up, pulling forward, turning the wheel and backing up again, pulling forward . . . you get the picture.

Neither the Caprice nor the Roadmaster was as nimble as a Mazda Miata in the everyday task of parking. We didn`t attempt parallel parking between two vehicles, which was a cumbersome chore when the wagon had flat sides and rear end and can`t be any easier now that its rounded.

The other problem with wagons was fuel economy. This pair is rated at 16 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway with their 5-liter, 170-horsepower V-8 engines. A larger 5.7-liter V-8 won`t be offered because it would face a gas-guzzler tax.

With eight-passenger capacity, wagons are very fuel-efficient vehicles at 16/25-providing you carry eight people and not just one.

Compared with the slab-sided boxes, the new wagons are more limber and easier to maneuver, though 217.5 inches of length will never make them easy to park. Gas-charged shocks make for a smooth ride in both. But with a wagon, and a full-size wagon at that, you quickly learn you must adjust to the extra footage, such as when backing up or when pulling in and out of the passing lane.

The 5-liter V-8 is slightly underpowered, which you feel when starting up and especially when climbing inclines. But again, that`s better than a guzzler tax. The typical wagon owner won`t be as concerned in speeding away from a stop as in carting seven screaming kids and a barking dog through the suburbs, or pulling the boat or trailer along the interstate, along with the seven screaming kids and the barking dog.

The Buick Roadmaster carries a 100 m.p.h. speedometer, the Caprice an 85 m.p.h. speedometer. Chevy will soon change its reading. The low 85 unit distorts common perceptions. When you`re traveling at 65 m.p.h. on the interstate, the needle is just about out of room to move much further. Seeing the needle way off to the right makes you feel as if you`re traveling faster than you are.

The Roadmaster and Caprice offer two items not available on previous GM wagons-driver-side airbags and antilock brakes, the latter a must feature for a vehicle entrusted to hauling kids, their friends or teammates. The airbag and ABS are standard.

The Roadmaster features a tinted glass Vista roof as standard equipment;

the Caprice doesn`t offer it even as an option. The Vista roof over the second seat allows passengers to catch the scenery overhead and makes for an airy feeling inside the compartment. But even with the roof in the Roadmaster and without it in the Caprice, both wagons shortchange second-seat occupants when it comes to thigh support. Maybe Chevy and Buick figured only kids would roam in that second seat.